A quibble was originally a pun or play on words. It probably comes from Latin quibus, meaning ‘for which’ or ‘for whom’, a word that often appeared in legal documents and so was associated with subtle distinctions or verbal niceties. The idea of a pun led to that of basing an argument on some likeness or difference between words or their meanings, and from this arose the notion of a petty objection or a trivial point of criticism.

Derivatives

quibbler

But I think it has far greater potential to damage the opposition, who, by engaging in such arguments, make themselves look like pettifogging quibblers out to injure the president by any means necessary.

A gaggle of quibblers complain that chickens do fly, albeit short distances.

How wider access might be achieved is another matter, and one that will be closely examined by the quibblers after Wade takes up his appointment in October.

quibblingly

More quibblingly, I wish that they might have begun the passages from Calvin on any page other than 666; given their appreciation of the Reform tradition, however, this is almost certainly the fault of some Arminian typesetter.

It might be argued, but rather quibblingly, that such a response is itself an expression of inherent genotypic possibilities.

Those who are familiar with both the details and the thrust of his thought have a responsibility to explain it to interested newcomers as best we can, even as we also pursue high level or quibblingly technical debates among ourselves.